


Assignments

by Makou133



Series: Go With the Flow [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Blank Period, Canon Related, Hokage Hatake Kakashi, Mission Related, Other, POV Third Person Limited, Post-Canon, Post-Fourth Shinobi War, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-08
Updated: 2016-11-08
Packaged: 2018-08-29 19:57:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8503339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Makou133/pseuds/Makou133
Summary: Orochimaru didn't know what to expect when he was called to the Rokudaime's office. But it certainly was not to be roped into this. Or to have Sarutobi glower at him the whole time.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is a timestamp to my already existing story, A Fresh New Breeze. There will be many, they are in no particular order.

Orochimaru stood in the familiar room; there were piles of paperwork stacked here and there scattered about the Hokage’s office. The windows let in early morning light. Assembled alongside him were Makou, Team Taka, and Kabuto. In front of them sat the Rokudaime, Hatake Kakashi- at his sides were his two advisors, the Nara boy and his sensei’s granddaughter, Sarutobi Kai. As Orochimaru glanced around the room, the pictures of the previous five kage looked on, Sarutobi-sensei and Tsunade included. Kakashi stood up from his seated position, analyzing the papers on the desk quickly before speaking. “So, I’m sure you’d all like to know why you’re here?” He gave a small yawn before continuing. The others in the room shifted on their feet. Orochimaru had been taking in the gray haired man’s relaxed posture, but he noted that his advisors were far more stiff. Sarutobi kept looking him over wearily, twice she had glanced at the pictures behind those in front of her, looking at her grandfather the serpent assumed. Kakashi spoke again, “Well, seeing as you are all Konoha Shinobi, you didn’t expect to just be freeloading and loafing around the village did you?” Orochimaru cocked his head, curious of the implications of what was just said. Kabuto swallowed nervously at his side. 

“So I don't get to lounge about and eat yogurt for the rest of my days. Man, and here I was thinking I was gonna have it easy from now on.” Suigetsu threw his weight to one side, “Bummer.” He flipped his hair to emphasize his point, before closing one eye and grinning, “As if, I'd die of boredom. I need things to cut. So we get to be bonafide Konoha nin, eh?” The Nara boy sighed, as did Sarutobi. Kakashi nodded in agreement however. 

“Exactly, and I’m assigning you rank and a team right now as a matter of fact.” The masked man spoke lightly, as if it was no big deal. The Sannin was caught off guard, he had predicted that they would be required to carry out missions now and again, but to be assigned a team and everything? He pursed his lips, wondering how all this would play out. Beside him, Kabuto spoke up. 

“Rokudaime-san I do apologize for interrupting, but I have a request.” All eyes in the room turned to the scaled man. Orochimaru lamented for his former right hand. It was a mark he would bear for the rest of his days, he was sure. It would seem his flesh and blood was far more tenacious than the medic nin had suspected. Kabuto spoke again, softly. The light caught on his glasses as he lowered his head. “I wish to retire as a ninja, I have a greater purpose I must fulfill.” The serpent smirked, so he would rather go there- hence why he had chose to not follow him any longer . Orochimaru wasn’t surprised, Kabuto had expressed to him that after trying to be like the serpent, the young man had realized who he was, and where he needed to be. 

“Retire? How troublesome, skilled medics like you are needed in a time like this.” The Nara boy drawled. He placed a hand on his shoulder, rolling his neck, “But I guess it can’t be helped. What a drag.” Kakashi glanced again at his paperwork, quickly jotting down adjustments, Orochimaru guessed, to the arrangements that had been made. He could see from the corner of his eye Makou was using her height to try to catch a glance of what was written down, before Kakashi covered it with a hand.

“That can be amended I suppose, but what is this purpose if I may ask?” Kakashi trained his gaze on the medic, others in the room followed suit. Kabuto turned away from their gaze. The snake man knew his subordinate well, and he could tell Kabuto was reluctant to express his sentiments behind his reasons in front of all these people. He could be quite timid at times. Orochimaru took it upon himself to answer for the boy. 

“The orphanage, the one Nonou had been a caregiver at. He wishes to return their and fulfill the same role.” He spoke it smoothly and matter of factly, his amber eyes drilling into Kabuto’s own.The mention of her name caused the scaled man to flinch “Isn’t that right?” He kept his eyes trained on his former right hand man. Though he had never expressed it explicitly to the Sannin, Orochimaru was sure that was what he intended to do. Kabuto opened his mouth, before nodding. His hand coming up to his glasses reflexively.

“The orphanage? Is that so? Well that too needs more caregivers in the wake of the war, I didn’t expect you to be the type.” Kakashi nodded towards the Sarutobi girl, who seemed to understand what it meant as she grabbed a scroll off of one of the shelves, bringing it to Kakashi. He opened it quickly, writing down Kabuto’s name before sealing it again. He handed the scroll to the auburn haired woman before she placed it in Kabuto’s hands. As she walked by she made a pointed effort to avoid walking past Orochimaru, instead opting to go between Makou and Karin and return to her place beside Kakashi’s desk. “That’s a letter to the man who runs the orphanage now, hand that to him, he will know what to do with it.” Kabuto gripped the scroll tightly, he nodded once more before giving a slight bow. He departed, the wooden doors softly shutting in his wake. Orochimaru couldn't help but think of a time where he was not only bowed to, but kneeled before. He was brought back from his thoughts as Kakashi addressed them once more. “Any more requests?” He asked it sincerely. 

Makou looked around eagerly, her eyes falling on Karin. “Ew, don’t stare at me with your swamp eyes like that.” Orochimaru repressed a snicker as almost unnoticeably Kakashi held a steadying hand up to Sarutobi. Makou’s eager grin turned stormy in a matter of moments, displeased with the unfavorable analysis of her. Karin hitched her glasses, ”You only wish I’d throw in the towel, huh Giantess?” she retorted. Another unfavorable nickname Karin often called her. Orochimaru decided to step in before the three kunoichi had a chance to go at it. 

“Karin, Makou, in the Hokage’s office a little more respect should be shown, have I never taught you manners?” He said it bitingly, but they immediately turned away from each other in a huff.

“Apologies, Orochi-sama.”

“Forgive me Orochimaru-sama.”

He smirked slightly, before noticing Kakashi was looking at him “They need a firm hand from time to time, neh?” Orochimaru shrugged, lifting his hands while shaking his head. 

“A valid point,” Kakashi kept his cheery tone, "which leads right to my assignment for you, Orochimaru-san." The Sannin straightened as the Rokudaime addressed him. “Since you do seem to have such a handle on them, you will be returning to your former rank as a Jonin, retaining your honorary title of Sannin. And, as comes with holding the rank of Jonin, you will have the leadership responsibility as a sensei to your own team of Genin. You will lead them in missions, and be in charge of their growth as Konoha nin.” It was rare when moments left Orochimaru speechless, but this was one of them.

Sarutobi quipped sarcastically, Kai must have noted the atypical silence from the serpent “What, no words? Cat got your obscenely long tongue?” She turned up the corner of her mouth in a smirk.

Makou piped up, “Not this time!” Sarutobi’s smirk turned to disgust. As did several other’s in the room. He wasn’t the only one who enjoyed watching people squirm in discomfort.

Kai dropped her hands, one coming up to her forehead “Makou, no." she sighed "Just- no.” Sarutobi shook her head, pinching her brow. 

Orochimaru decided to speak, not forgetting the role he had just been granted. “With all due respect Lord Sixth, I must question your decision.” 

Kai spoke before Kakashi had a chance to respond, “It wasn’t his, it was Lady Fifth’s, you should be thankful that Kakashi agreed to her suggestion. The two of us,” she motioned between herself and Nara, “as well as Shizune weren’t so ready to accept a leadership position for someone such as yourself.” There was venom in her words. She was a headstrong woman though, she had no issue looking directly at the serpent. Her jade eyes were unwavering.

Kakashi interceded, “But, after deliberating, it can’t be denied that despite your actions as their leader prior to this, you were still their teacher, and we believe,” he looked to his two advisors who seemed very interested in anything but but the silver haired man at the moment, “-That is, all of us believe, you will be best suited as their sensei, and that this time around your exemplary tutelage will be in the benefit of the leaf, not against it. Isn’t that so?” He looked once again to his advisors, who both agreed reluctantly.

“Well, I guess I can’t argue with that, can I Kakashi?” He smiled, but it was mock placidity. How gracious of the masked man to task him with babysitting his former subordinates. The pale man stepped up to the desk. Kakashi signed yet another scroll, as well as opened a small box that had been sitting on the desk. As he opened it, Orochimaru could see sunlight glint off the polished metal surface. This was unexpected, the Sannin hesitated before reaching out for it. He also became exceedingly aware of his sensei’s eyes on his back. Jiraiya also sprang to mind, how would he react if he too were here? 

It was then that a book slipped out of Kakashi’s pocket as he leaned over the desk while singing the parchment. It tumbled out, the back cover facing up- Orochimaru took note of his teammate’s signature scrawled across it. Casually, Kakashi grabbed the book as if it happened all the time then handed the serpent the scroll and one of the headbands that had been resting in the box. As the copy nin placed the items in his hands, their eyes met for moment, a small smile underneath the mask. Orochimaru took a step back. 

“You said that Lord Orochimaru would be assigned a team of Genin. Is that us?” Juugo questioned quietly from where he stood. 

“Indeed it is.” Kakashi replied to the inquiry. “However not all of you will be Genin.” he turned towards Makou, “Makou, we will move on to you next.” She grinned widely, glancing at Orochimaru. He returned her look of excitement with a slight smile. “You will be returning to Team Three, in light of the war’s events they are down one squad member. Your skill with Taijutsu and mid to close-range combat skills will greatly assist in restoring the team’s balance in Neji’s absence,” The normally bright eyed girl dropped her head at the mention of Neji’s name. The serpent wasn’t keenly aware of her relationship with her former teammates, but he sympathized for her. Despite not knowing the details of her time on Gai’s team, he imagined that she had been reasonably close to them. 

“I will do my best, I’m sure I have a lot of catching up to do with Lee.” Her saddened look returned to her usual cheerful one. 

“You do have a lot to catch up on, out of the three of you, Makou, you will be the lowest in rank. Lee and Tenten are Jonin” The silver haired man chuckled at Makou's wide eyed stare. 

Makou let her head drop, “Shit, I’m still a Genin!”

Karin snickered. “How the mighty have fallen, huh Makou?” Karin hitched her glasses. 

“Actually, Uzumaki-san, “ Sarutobi spoke sweetly and politely, “Makou is still a rank higher than you.” Sarutobi made a false pout as if to empathize with Karin’s now flabbergasted look. Makou looked confusedly at her friend as well. Orochimaru also tilted his head. To his knowledge, Makou and Karin’s official rank had been Genin before they had served him. She continued to speak, still excessively sweet. The pale man wondered how his sensei had felt about her bold personality. It reminded him of Biwako. She had been very opinionated herself. “Monosashi Makou, you are hereby granted the rank of Chunin, this decision was made based off the late Third’s notes during the exams, as well the other proctors’. It had been determined you were a skilled enough shinobi at the time to hold the rank of Chunin despite never participating in your match during the third part of the exam. You were one of the few shinobi who had answered correctly each question on the written exam. As observed by the proctors you had not employed any method of cheating and had finished within 30 minutes of the exam, a feat few manage” Orochimaru smirked inwardly, despite her dull demeanor at times, Makou was a skilled strategist. 

“But, I didn’t get promoted then, so how would that make a difference?” Makou questioned of her friend. Sarutobi sighed, explaining further. 

“Well, that would be correct Makou. You weren’t promoted then, but they were reasons why you were not chosen.” Sarutobi’s eyes glared at Orochimaru. Ah, yes, the reason Makou never participated in her match was because that was when he had initiated Konoha Crush. The other’s in the room seemed to understand the reasoning. However, Makou seemed to be slow on the uptake. She stared at the floor puzzled. Her hand absentmindedly running through her wild bangs, only serving to mess them up more. Orochimaru sighed, yes, she could be incredibly dull at times. She continued to think, the room silent as they waited for her to catch up. Her bushy brows furled in thought before she suddenly threw up her hands, realization hitting her. 

“I was watching Lord Orochimaru!” She said it excitedly before her hands fell. “Oh.” She said it quietly this time. “Yea maybe that was for the best, huh?” Orochimaru found it difficult to stop himself from chuckling. He wouldn’t say he was proud of himself -or what he did, but seeing Makou so happily talk about watching him execute a plan that was meant to wipe out Konoha had a sort of twisted humor in it. 

Sarutobi responded stiffly, “Yes you were Makou, and someone with such a mindset as yours at that time would not have been a wise choice to give a higher rank much less lead a squad on a mission. But my grandfather had had the full intent of promoting you. He seemed to believe that such responsibility would perhaps sway you. Those who took over after the fact did not feel the same way. His softness to others was both a blessing and a curse it would seem. Perhaps if he had not been so soft towards those he cared for he would have been here today.” She was persistent. Once again fierce emerald eyes were trained on him. Orochimaru decided to reply to her comment.

“Indeed, it was both a blessing and a curse, The old man could be unbearably sentimental at times, couldn’t he? Even while we fought side by side in the war, he couldn’t stop reminiscing.” He put emphasis on the side by side part, “neh, goddaughter?” She turned away her cheeks reddening with anger and embarrassment, however she spoke calmly. 

“I suppose so.” she folded her arms across her chest. She handed Makou a scroll, signifying her achievement of rank.

“Makou, Orochimaru, both of those scrolls contain your equipment assignment for your flak vests. I’m sure you know where to take them.” He focused on the last three shinobi in the room, “Continuing on, Team Taka, as already stated, you will be Orochimaru’s genin team. All three of you will be given the rank of genin. Hozuki Suigetsu and Juugo, neither of you have any recorded rank in you previous villages. As for you Uzumaki Karin, you had participated in the same chuunin exam as Makou, but had not made it past the Forest of Death.” Makou pulled down her eyelid while sticking her tongue out in Karin’s direction. “You will also be given headbands to signify your place as shinobi of the leaf. He handed each of them a head band. Suigetsu immediately tied his around his neck. 

“Whaddya think Makou? Isn’t this where you wear yours?” He gave a toothy smile. 

“Hey, wait don’t I get a shiny new headband?” Makou asked with a slight whine. Orochimaru had been so concerned with Sarutobi’s comments about Hiruzen that he had failed to notice she had not been handed one. 

“Well Makou, I guess we had both assumed you still had your headband.” Makou looked up coyly from beneath her bangs. Orochimaru knew she had it, probably in her pocket. Unlike Sasuke, Makou had never really turned her back on the village. That had never been her intent. All she had done was devote herself to him, and considering he had never truly turned away from the village himself, neither had she. 

“So I don’t get a new one then? What a bummer.” She exhaled playfully as she reached a gloved hand into the pouch on her belt, pulling out a faded and somewhat dented headband. She tied it around her neck before glancing at the three behind the desk, “I had hoped all these new beginnings would mean getting a shiny new headband, maybe with red fabric?” She winked.

“Well, you are on team Gai, but we don’t just award the taijutsu headbands to anyone Makou. It’s troublesome, but you’re going to have to earn it.” Nara placed a hand on his shoulder as he rolled his head. He looked out the window. “I think we’re about done here right? I have someone, er, somewhere to be.” Kakashi followed his gaze to the window.

“Yes I think that is about it. One last thing though, Makou, you are to report to the training grounds for morning training with team Gai. And Orochimaru, you are to report to the village gate in gear with your team. You have a mission, The details are in the scroll. You are all dismissed.” As they turned to leave, Orochimaru noticed Makou gave Sarutobi a small wave. She waved back. He glanced above the wooden doors, Sensei keeping an ever watchful eye on him. 

\------

He was zipping the flak vest the rest of the way up as Suigetsu, Karin, and Juugo approached the gate, all sporting their new headbands. He looked at his own in his hand before tying it underneath his hair.


End file.
